Samoa Head of State His Highness Tui Atua Tupua Tamasese called for dialogue and cooperation among religions at the first 'Managing Religious and Cultural Diversity' conference at National University of Samoa recently.
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Excerpts from his address follow:
First, I agree with Hans Kung, that: “There will be no survival of our globe without a global ethic:”; “There will be no peace among the nations without peace among the religions.”; and “There will be no peace among the religions without dialogue and cooperation among the religions and civilizations.” This is as much true for the village as it is for the world.
Secondly, I agree with the Iron Lady: “Watch your thoughts because they become words. Watch your words because they become actions. Watch your actions because they become habits. Watch your habits because they become your character. And, watch your character because it becomes your destiny!”
And last but by no means least, I agree that we need the miraculous power of God to be present within us as we dialogue on how best to manage cultural and religious diversity in our region. I agree with the words of Reverend Ronald Rolheiser, which were republished in our Samoan Observer as part of its Easter message: “The miraculous doesn’t force itself on us. It’s there, there to be seen, but whether we see or not, and what precisely we do see, depends mainly on what’s going on inside our hearts”. Let us, as Oka would say, ensure that there is ever-present a laolao, an opening, within our hearts for the miracles of God.
A full transcript of his address delivered on 30 April 2012 will be published in the Samoa Observer this Sunday (6 May 2012).